It was merely by chance that Jim Schwantz found himself as a major player in a saga that began more than three years ago.

Steve Young sustained at least five concussions after the middle of the 1996 season, but it was his collision with Schwantz, a reserve linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, that fueled the public debate over whether the quarterback should retire in the name of self-preservation.

"(John) Madden and (Pat) Summerall did the game and they kept talking about it during the telecast, and the following week it really became an issue of whether or not he should retire," said Schwantz, who now works an office job in the Chicago area.

Schwantz was forced into action Nov. 20, 1996, against the 49ers because of injuries to starter Godfrey Myles and backup Billy Bates. Early in the second quarter, Young dropped back to pass and started to run. Dallas linebacker Broderick Thomas got his hands on Young, and Schwantz lowered the boom.

Young remained on the ground for a few seconds, but then got up and took one more snap. Young, who had sustained a concussion two weeks earlier at Houston, did not play the next game.

"We hit each other helmet to helmet and I was woozy myself," Schwantz said. "I remember Steve stayed in the game and the next play he took off running again and I couldn't even see straight. He left the game after that series."

Perhaps partially because of the attention from his hit on Young, Schwantz was named to the NFC Pro Bowl team as a special teams performer. He was more than a little surprised when Young interrupted Schwantz's conversation with teammates Darren Woodson and Tony Tolbert on picture day in Honolulu.

"He just laughed and said it was one heck of a shot," Schwantz said. "He told me that if he had the same opportunity, he would've made the hit the same way. He said, 'You really smashed me.'

"Broderick had him pretty much straight up and down when I hit him. It reminded me of the old Bears holding up ballcarriers for (Dick) Butkus. Steve really had no self-defense. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't slide or anything."

Ironically, he became Young's teammate the next season when the 49ers signed him as a free agent to help upgrade their special teams. After years of playing on the same team as quarterback Troy Aikman, Schwantz said he was amazed the first time he saw Young throw a football.

"I came to my first minicamp and the first thing I thought was, 'Steve Young should throw 40 picks a year,' " Schwantz said. "When he threw passes, the ball seemed like it was in the air forever. I was so used to seeing Troy rifle passes, and now I see Young floating these little wobblers in there. But after you're around him and you see him, you just have to shake your head and marvel at what he does. He knows the offense so well, practices hard and everything is predicated on rhythm and timing."

Although Schwantz was with the 49ers for only one season, he said it didn't take long to learn that Young was integral in setting the standard in the locker room. And nothing spelled it out more than a meaningless exhibition loss to Denver in 1997.

"We got creamed in Denver and after the game he's talking to the whole team about passion," Schwantz said. "That was a big word for him. He always talked about having passion. It was weird because here's this veteran player who's been to Pro Bowls, won a Super Bowl and is arguably a Hall of Famer, and even this play-the-game-and-get-out-with-your-health exhibition game was important to him. I think it really hit home for everybody in that locker room."